PrepMaticTamil Nadu GK · Government & administration
List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu (Madras State), 1947 onwards
On this page
Tamil Nadu's Chief Ministers since 1947 run from O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar (1947) to M. K. Stalin (2021 to 2026), with two short acting spells by V. R. Nedunchezhiyan. The list below is complete up to M. K. Stalin. For the person who holds the office now, this page defers to the official website: as of 9 October 2026, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly website named Thiru C. Joseph Vijay as Chief Minister. Confirm the current incumbent and date of oath on tn.gov.in before an exam.
The list
| No. | Chief Minister | Party | Term(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar | Congress | 1947 to 1949 (Madras Presidency, then Madras State) |
| 2 | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja | Congress | 1949 to 1952 |
| 3 | C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) | Congress | 1952 to 1954 |
| 4 | K. Kamaraj | Congress | 1954 to 1963 |
| 5 | M. Bhaktavatsalam | Congress | 1963 to 1967 |
| 6 | C. N. Annadurai | DMK | 1967 to 1969 (died in office, 3 February 1969) |
| 7 | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan | DMK | Acting, February 1969 |
| 8 | M. Karunanidhi | DMK | 1969 to 1976, 1989 to 1991, 1996 to 2001, 2006 to 2011 (five terms) |
| 9 | M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) | AIADMK | 1977 to 1980, 1980 to 1987 (died in office, 24 December 1987) |
| 10 | V. R. Nedunchezhiyan | AIADMK | Acting, December 1987 to January 1988 |
| 11 | Janaki Ramachandran | AIADMK | January 1988 (less than a month) |
| 12 | J. Jayalalithaa | AIADMK | 1991 to 1996, 2001, 2002 to 2006, 2011 to 2014, 2015 to 2016, 2016 (six terms; died in office, 5 December 2016) |
| 13 | O. Panneerselvam | AIADMK | 2001 to 2002, 2014 to 2015, 2016 to 2017 (three terms) |
| 14 | Edappadi K. Palaniswami | AIADMK | 2017 to 2021 |
| 15 | M. K. Stalin | DMK | 2021 to 2026 |
Notes on the table:
- Entries 1 to 5 were Congress governments. There has been no Congress Chief Minister since 1967.
- President's Rule was imposed four times: 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1991.
- In the Madras Presidency before 1947, the head of government was called Premier. The first Premier under dyarchy was A. Subbarayalu Reddiar (1920), of the Justice Party.
Records and firsts examiners use
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| First Chief Minister after the name Tamil Nadu came into force (14 January 1969) | C. N. Annadurai |
| Longest-serving (cumulative) | M. Karunanidhi, about 19 years over five terms |
| Most terms | J. Jayalalithaa, six |
| First woman Chief Minister | Janaki Ramachandran (1988) |
| Second woman Chief Minister | J. Jayalalithaa |
| Chief Minister who resigned under the "Kamaraj Plan" | K. Kamaraj, in 1963 |
| Chief Minister who had earlier been India's Governor-General | C. Rajagopalachari (Governor-General 1948 to 1950; Chief Minister 1952 to 1954) |
| Chief Ministers who died in office | Annadurai (1969), MGR (1987), Jayalalithaa (2016) |
Kamaraj is remembered for expanding school education and the midday meal; MGR later extended it as the Nutritious Meal Programme in 1982. See Tamil Nadu firsts for more of such items.
How a Chief Minister is appointed
The Governor appoints the leader of the party or coalition that can show a majority in the 234-member Assembly (118 seats are needed). The Chief Minister heads the Council of Ministers, which is collectively responsible to the Assembly. The numbers and the Speaker's role are on Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly facts, and the constitutional rules are in the TNPSC Indian polity guide.
What about the latest government?
The list of Chief Ministers changes at each election, so a static page can go stale. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly website was the source for the 2026 name above. It names the Chief Minister, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, but the page checked did not show the date of the oath, the party or the ministry. Treat those as "check the official site" items, and see the formation of Tamil Nadu page for background on how the state's name and map came about.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
C. N. Annadurai was the Chief Minister when the state was renamed on 14 January 1969. The first Chief Minister of Madras State after independence was O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar.
Who is the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
As of 9 October 2026, the official Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly website named Thiru C. Joseph Vijay. Check the Tamil Nadu government portal for the latest.
Who was the longest-serving Chief Minister?
M. Karunanidhi, who held the office for five terms between 1969 and 2011.
Who was the first woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
Janaki Ramachandran, in January 1988, who served for a few weeks.
Who was the Chief Minister called the "Kingmaker"?
K. Kamaraj, who left the office in 1963 to work for the Congress organisation under the Kamaraj Plan.
Official sources
- Tamil Nadu Government portal: Chief Minister and Council of Ministers.
- Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: officeholders and sessions.
- Election Commission of India: statistical reports of past elections.
Re-check the current incumbent in the latest source, because this is the part of the page that goes out of date first.
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- Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly factsTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly facts for exams: 234 seats, 44 SC and 2 ST reserved, 118 for a majority, unicameral since 1986, plus the Speaker's role.
- Formation of Tamil NaduHow Madras Presidency became Madras State and then Tamil Nadu: Andhra separation 1953, States Reorganisation 1956, renaming on 14 January 1969, Chennai 1996.
- Dravidian movement timelineA dated timeline of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu: Justice Party 1916, Self-Respect Movement 1925, Dravidar Kazhagam 1944, DMK 1949, AIADMK 1972.
- Tamil Nadu firstsTamil Nadu firsts for GK: first classical language, first woman legislator, first Bharat Ratnas, first biosphere reserve, first corporation and Nobel laureates.
- Indian polityTNPSC Indian polity: the six syllabus areas, articles worth memorising, local government in Tamil Nadu, constitutional bodies and a Group 4 and 2 study plan.
More in Government & administration
- Local bodies of Tamil NaduLocal bodies in Tamil Nadu explained: village panchayat, panchayat union, district panchayat, town panchayat, municipality and corporation, with heads.
- Tamil Nadu reservation systemTamil Nadu's 69% reservation explained: BC 26.5, BC Muslims 3.5, MBC/DC 20, SC 15, SC(A) 3 and ST 1 per cent, its history from 1921 and how it applies to TNPSC.
- Tamil Nadu state commissionsTamil Nadu's constitutional and statutory commissions: TNPSC, State Election Commission, Finance Commission, Human Rights, Women, Information, Lokayukta.